PGL-1 and LID-1 antibody levels in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected individuals in a Hansen's disease (leprosy) endemic area of Brazil.

Serological tests for subclinical Mycobacterium leprae infection based on antibodies to phenolic glycolipid-1 (PGL-1) and leprosy IDRI diagnostic-1 (LID-1) have not been compared in HIV-infected and uninfected individuals. PGL-1 seropositivity by ELISA was 6.0 % (21/350) in HIV-infected compared with 29.1 % (102/350) in HIV-uninfected individuals (p < 0.001); LID-1 seropositivity was 45.4 % (159/350) in HIV-infected compared with 50.3 % (153/304) in HIV-uninfected individuals (p = 0.21). In HIV-infected individuals, LID-1 but not PGL-1 antibody levels were inversely associated with CD4+ cell count (p = 0.02). These differential associations of HIV infection and CD4 count with PGL-1 and LID-1 have implications for M leprae immunodiagnostic tools and require replication.